Dupage Policy Journal

Former state school employee Cheryl Witham, who retired in July 2017, saved $122,380 toward a pension over 8 years working for public schools, Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois records show.

Over 30 years of retirement, Witham would collect as much as $1.99 million, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes DuPage Policy Journal.

The projection assumes Witham received $41,797 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 3 years of retirement, Witham will have already received $129,191 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the teachers' pension fund.